The Lady and the Earl (41 page)

Declan
pointed down the hallway to the right of the staircase.  “My chambers are
in
that direction.”  He turned left and headed in the opposite direction, not elaborating where exactly his chambers were, and then said, “
Yours
are this way.” 

The hallway was long and wide.  There were portraits and other paintings along one side of the hallway, and large spacious windows along the other side.  The
path to her room seemed like a labyrinth.  They took several different hallways, turning corner after corner
,
bypassing several doorways to rooms until finally they stopped
in front of a set of large double doors. 
Declan
pushed them open and held the doors for Allana to enter. 

The room was vast.  To her left was a sitting area next to a fireplace.  Along the
adjacent
wall were glass double doors that exited to a terrace similar to the one she had in her old room at Tananguard Manor.  Her bed stood opposite the mai
n doors.  It had a lovely royal-
red canopy and matching bed linen.  There was also a vanity area and a large closet opposite the terrace.  The room engulfed her old room. 

“These are your chambers.  You will find a new wardrobe
has been supplied
in the closet.  A weddin
g gift from Lilly, I believe. 
Your old clothes are in there as well.  If you need anything, pull this rope and a bell will ring in the servants’ quarters.  I am certain you will be pleased by their abilities,”
Declan
said sounding very business-like.

“Yes, I’m sure I will,” Allana replied politely. 

They stared at one another for a moment. 

“I will see you in the morning,
my L
ady.  My home is now yours, so feel free to go where you wish.” 

“Good night, my
Lord
,” Allana replied.  She stood there as he closed the doors behind him.  Part of her wanted to call him back and make him stay with her.  She longed for his caress, but knew it was beyond her reach.  Her heart ached. 
She’d
broken his trust, and thus, lost his love. 

Tears slipped down her cheeks.  Had she lost him forever?  No, she would make him hers again.  Her sadness changed to determination. 

Allana rose early.  She’
d had a rough
night’s
sleep, tossing and turning.  She
dreamt of that dreadful night Lucas attacked her, but in her dream, Declan was there.  Lucas beat her and called her terrible name
s
while Declan simply watched.  His cold eyes
stare
d
at her, void of emotion as she screamed from the pain Lucas inflicted.  She
pleaded
for
Declan
to help, but
instead, he
simply
walked away, shaking his head in disgust. 
She woke sobbing, hot tears running down her face mixed with a cold sweat.  Oh, she was so tired of crying!  She felt like it was all
she’d
done for the past two months.  Ever since Lucas…no, she refused to think about him or that horrid night.  Today was the beginning of a new life, a life with
Declan
. 

She pulled the rope to the servants’ quarters and washed up as she waited for a young maid named Selene to come assist her with her gown. 
Allana
had chosen a red, silk dress for the day, which Selene fumbled to help her with.  The girl was apparently unused to assisting with such things, but with time Allana knew she would do just fine. 

Once dressed, Allana had the girl assist her with her hair too.  It took several tries, but between the two of them, they finally arranged it the way Allana wanted.

When she was properly dressed and ready for the morning, s
he studied her reflection in the mirror
.  She wanted to look her best,
for today she would begin her quest to make
Declan
fall in love with her.  She smiled at her reflection, feeling pleased with the outcome.  The dress was low cut, revealing the curves to her endowed bosom and showing off her long, slender neck.  It was one of the new ones Lilly had apparently given her.  Her hair was partially pulled up with auburn locks still pouring down her back.  She looked splendid, she decided as she left her chambers feeling confident in herself.  Today would be a good day. 

It took several miss
ed
turns, but Allana eventually
found her way to the staircase
that
le
d her down to the main hall.  She sighed in relief.  She knew where she needed to go from here. 
She
descended the stairs
and passed two maids as she did so.  They curtsied politely to her, but once Allana was out of hearing, they began whispering animatedly
.
  Allana’s
confiden
ce slipped.  Were they talking of
her?  That thought made her smile disappear.  She forced herself to push it aside and focused on her mission.  She could
not
let those maids shake her confidence if she was to win
Declan
back. 

She made her way to the dining room and found
Declan
sitting at the end of the dining table immersed in a newspaper, drinking a cup of tea.

“Good morning,
my
Lord
,” Allana said as pleasantly as possible even though her nerves were on edge. 
Confidence, Allana,
she told herself.
 
Confidence.

*
             
*
             
*

Declan
glanced up briefly
when he heard Allana’s voice.  His eyes
immediately
sought her
again
when his mind registered how beautiful she
looked
.  The rose-colored dress was magnificent
.  It revealed all he wanted it to when
he’d
commissioned
it and the rest of her dresses.  Her new wardrobe had not truly been Lilly’s gift but his own to Allana.  He had arranged it with his secretary just before his trip to London.  The dresses were the most recent style, but more importantly, they were low and revealing
.  He would unwillingly admit he had ulterior motives behind that, motives he would be unable to act upon.  And now he regrett
ed
purchasing those dresses
altogether
.  Seeing Allana in th
e red one
took his breath away.
  He stared at her, letting his eyes wander over her delicate figure, and felt a certain yearning begging him to pull her to him.  This was
not
going to work.  He could
not
be around her and not want her.  He
must
turn his feelings to ice.

He
refused to
say anything as he forced his eyes back to his paper.  He was simply going to ignore her and not look at her again.  He could
not
look at her again.  She was too lovely and
desirable.

“May I join you
?” she
asked lightly. 

Do
not
acknowledge her.  Do not say anything! 
“
Er
…” he cleared his throat. 
“If you wish.”
 
No, you fool!  What are you doing, man?
Declan
scolded himself.  He couldn’t do it.  He just wanted to be around her for a little while.  A small amount of ti
me with her would
n’
t
hurt,
w
ould it?

She smiled delightedly and sat in the chair
adjacent
to him.  He continued to read, ignoring her presence as a
maid
brought her some breakfast.   

“Oh, this looks lovely.  I’m famished,” she said to no one in particular. 

The
maid
proceeded
to po
u
r Allana a cup of tea. 

“Thank you,”
Allana
said. 

The maid curtsied
to her before leaving the two in silence. 

Allana
took a few small bites of fruit
.  “You have a lovely home,
my
Lord
,” she said
as if trying to break the silence.

Declan
ignored her, letting the silence spread.

“Perhaps, if you
a
re not too busy, you might give me a tour later
?” she
asked
quite
sweetly.

Declan
looked at her skeptically from the corner of his eye.  What was she doing?  Had he been wrong about her?  Did she really want to make this work?  He would
not
allow his hopes to
rise.  “Arden,” he called out.  His butler
entered the room.  “Lady Cunningham would like a tour of the estates.  Please accommodate her.”

“Yes, my
Lord
,” the older man replied. 

“Oh, no.
  I just thought…maybe some other time,” she replied,
cheeks flushing red.
 

“I have no intention of trying to find the time to give
you
a tour, so unless you wish to wander aimlessly…
,
”
Declan
trailed off, hoping she would take the hint.

She opened her mouth to say something then shut it again, a hurt look plainly visible upon her face. 
“Very well.”
 

“I will
wait in the hallway for you, my L
ady, but do not rush yourself with your breakfast.  I
a
m in no hurry,” Arden said
, smiling kindly to her
.

*
             
*
             
*

Allana finished her breakfast with
Declan
in silence.  He stayed with her the entire time, and she noticed he hadn’t turned the page to his newspaper since she
’
d arrived.  Surely it did
not
take half an hour to read one page.  Was he still sitting here so he could be in her company?   

“Would you like to go for a ride with me later
?” she
asked, praying he would say yes.

He did not answer right away.  Allana was certain he was pondering the idea.  And then he answered.

“
No, I do not.
” 
It was so blunt and cold.  Was there no hope for her?

Allana blushed uncomfortabl
y
.  “Oh….  I just thought that perhaps…
,
” she trailed off, trying not to sound too hurt by his curtness.  “What about my escort
?” she
tried.  He
had
told her he would be her riding escort.  Of course, that was before
the
attack and Allana’s unintentional withdrawal from
him
.

“Haven’t you made it clear you do
not
need one
?” he
asked irritably.   

“Well, yes, but I…you…
,
” she sighed as he glared darkly at her.  “I guess I will see you for dinner then.  I usually take my lunch in my room,” she explained.

He waved his hand in her direction as though dismissing her before diving back into his paper. 

She sat in silence before finally
rising to leave.  “Good day, my
Lord
.”

After her tour with Arden, Allana returned to her room feeling very depressed and rejected.  This was going to take a lot of work.  She changed into a dark purple riding dress and headed to the stables.  

Every day for the next two weeks Allana and
Declan
followed
the same
routine.  Allana would come down to breakfast looking her best to find
Declan
reading a paper and sipping tea or wine.  She would proceed to eat breakfast and talk to him as much as possible.  Then she would ask him to ride with her,
which
he always declined.  He refused to say any more to her than necessary an
d was usually rude when he did
say something.  He avoided her as much as possible, even skipping dinner most evenings.  He was making things very difficult, and she was losing confidence in herself and in her mission to win his heart. 

One day in particular,
Declan
seemed to be in a fouler mood than usual and refused to speak to her even when she asked him
yes
or
no
questions.  He simply glared darkly at her anytime she
spoke
,
his gaze
lingering on her breasts before diving back to the
ledger
he was reading.  It was terribly uncomfortable for Allana, but she was determined not to let him get the better of her.  She
would not let him push her away!

When she finished her breakfast, she asked him to ride with her like she always did, hoping for once he would say yes.   

Declan
smiled slightly, shaking his head in irritation.  “No,” he stated bluntly, letting his gaze find her breasts once more before diving back to his
book.

“Perhaps another day,” she said,
doing her best to hide
the pain and disappointment he caused.  His lingering
gaze was
confusing.  It was very uncharacteristic of him, and she did
n’
t
know what to think of it.  At first it
was
flattering, but as the morning continued, it made her feel
rather
uncomfortable. 

“Humph,”
came
his reply. 

Allana cleared her throat as the silence, which was so familiar to her, returned.  “Well, thank you for letting me join you,” she said, but she did not move from her chair.

*
             
*
             
*

Declan eyed Allana from the corner of his eye.  She was driving him mad.  Each day she asked him to go for a ride with her, and each day he refused.  He wanted to accept her offer very badly.  Today seemed worse, though.  She was wearing a blue dress similar to the one
she’d
worn when
he had kissed her in the
rose
garden
.  He ordered it for that reason in particular.  But now it brought back memories of
that day
and caused his pain to return.  He needed to feel her soft skin again and her sweet lips upon his, but no.  He had to push her away
or else he would soon succumb
to his desires
.